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Tue Sep 12 21:10:27 CDT 2006


of time trying to minimize the weight savings by using minimum or 
recommended wire sizes.  You won't be saving that much weight.  This issue 
came up a couple of weeks ago regarding 28 vdc vs. 14 vdc systems.

I wish I had put in a size or two larger than design recommendations.  Both 
my strobe and nav light breakers were tripping at 10 amps after being on for 
15-30 minutes.  I would like to replace them using 15 amp breakers - however 
these would be too large for the 18 gauge wire that I installed.  I am using 
the W33 style rocker switch breakers.  My solution was to rewire the W33's 
as switches and install inline 10 amp fuses behind the panel.  If I had used 
one size larger 16 gauge wire, I could have just replaced the marginal 10 
amp breakers with 15 amp.

I faced a similar issue when I discovered that by eliminating the normal 
starter solenoid switch and just wiring straight to the ScyTech starter's 
solenoid switch, the circuit needed to be increased to 5 amps from the 2 
amps I had originally designed.

Bottom line - make the wires a little bigger, install some spare wires from 
the nose to the engine and front of the firewall.  The weight gained is 
miniscule compared to, for instance, deciding to use Jeffcoat instead of 
Aeropoxy to coat the interior of the fuel tanks, or the weight gained by 
using Allen Shaw's wings instead of building your own!  Or installing a big 
ole car battery up front (required for ballast) versus the lighter weight 
batteries that are in vogue. Or installing a nice plush interior versus 
cloth and Zolatone used in lots of other planes.

If you are worried about the floor ducts being too small, I suggest using 
the area available in the keel to route wires to the front of the firewall 
(strobe, nav lights, main gear limit switches, fuel levels, overhead lights, 
etc.  Then the floor ducts can be reserved for the stuff that needs to go to 
the engine compartment - wires, throttle, mixture, oil lines, starter cables 
(if you are using a vacuum pump - consider using 1/2" id soft copper for a 
combination ground and vacuum line), etc.

Have fun building!!!
Ronnie
 



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